Throughout a rookie season of ups & downs, New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones still had a decent amount of success. He led all rookies in touchdown passes (24), threw for 3,027 yards, and set multiple franchise records along the way. But what was most impressive is something that has barely been mentioned this offseason – his absurd road game success. And not just success for a rookie, but numbers that no other signal-caller put up this past season.
New York Giants: Daniel Jones Was The Best Road QB in 2019
Jones’ Video-Game Like Numbers
Jones started 12 games during his rookie campaign; six at home, and six on the road. During his six home games, Jones was extremely underwhelming. He threw just six touchdowns and nine of his 12 interceptions were thrown in front of the home crowd. He was a completely different player when he hit the road though.
On the road, Jones was almost unstoppable. He tossed 18 TDs to go along with just three interceptions, good enough for an absurd 6:1 touchdown to interception ratio. He was also a threat with his legs, as he ran for 113 yards and tallied two scores. What’s even more impressive though, is if you remove his worst game (at New England), his numbers improve to 17 passing TDs and zero interceptions. Not to mention he did all of this in just six games. If you expanded his numbers to eight games, his stats would include a monster 24 TD’s and only four interceptions.
The Rest of the League’s Numbers
Only one player threw more touchdowns on the road in 2019 than Daniel Jones – MVP winner Lamar Jackson. But Jackson’s 20 occurred over the course of eight games, two more than Jones. MVP runner-up Russell Wilson failed to keep up with Jones’ pace as well, as he threw only 12 TDs while playing on the road. No player was able to match Jones’ 6:1 ratio though, a number that is one of the best in recent memory.
How Jones Matches Up With Historical Seasons
Statistically, the greatest seasons by a quarterback belong to Tom Brady in 2007, Peyton Manning in 2013, and Patrick Mahomes in 2018. All of them are the only three players to ever throw 50 or more touchdowns in a single season. While each of them threw more touchdowns on the road than Jones, only one of them had a better TD: INT ratio. Besides Brady, posted an absurd 7.25:1.0 ratio during his MVP-winning season, both Manning and Mahomes fell short of Jones’ mark.
What Jones’ Success Indicates
What does the early success on the road mean for the future of Daniel Jones? It means the Giants have a player who has no issue going into an unfamiliar place and putting the team on his back – similar to the recently retired 2x Super Bowl champion, Eli Manning. Should the struggles at home cause concern? Possibly in the future, but considering half of his home games were played in either snow/rain, it’s quite possible Jones will be able to bring his road success to Metlife a few years down the road.